Hi friends, I’m Jerica. Welcome to Getting Started with Doctor Stanley, a podcast in which we encourage Christians in their time with God’s word. What you’ll hear today comes from the InTouch devotional, a free resource from InTouch Ministries that contains devotions for every day, available in print and online.
Each month, we explore a fresh perspective on scripture, something to help you connect with God’s word in a meaningful way and draw closer to him. Life can be overwhelming for a variety of reasons. Financial pressures, relationship conflicts, health concerns, and unexpected losses can leave us feeling crushed under their weight.
As believers, we may wonder why God allows such difficulties when we’re trying to live faithfully. Yet scripture reminds us that trials are not evidence of God’s absence. Rather, they are opportunities to experience his sustaining grace. In Dr. Stanley’s devotional on holy ground, he teaches that by responding with faith, we can find God’s peace even in turbulent circumstances.
He says, “A new believer bemoaned her inconsistent lifestyle only weeks following her rather dramatic salvation. If I am a believer, why do I still have so many problems?” She honestly wondered, “Whether new or mature believers, we will encounter spiritual cycles, times when we are up and times when we are down.
Jesus was a realist when he described the type of upsetting experience his disciples would face. These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. John chapter 16 verse 33 Dr. Stanley continues if you are in the midst of unsettling circumstances take courage the rest of us are too.
In such times, we maintain contentment and stability through our constant, unchanging, permanent relationship with Jesus Christ. Cling to Christ through consistent personal communion, bringing him all your needs and fears. He is the helmsman of your soul in disturbing times and your safety and peace lie in his steady hands.
Dr. Stanley reminds us that trials are part of the Christian life, but we don’t face them alone. Our relationship with Christ is constant and unchanging, even when everything else feels uncertain. While listening to Dr. Stanley’s words, maybe you were thinking of a particular hardship you were going through right now.
Maybe it’s a conversation you’ve been dreading, a stack of unpaid bills on your counter, or an empty chair where someone used to sit. Before we go any further, let’s acknowledge something important. What you’re facing is real and it’s hard. We’re not going to pretend otherwise. This isn’t about putting on a brave face or dismissing your pain.
Life really can be overwhelming, and there’s no shame in admitting that. But here’s what we also believe. Even in the midst of genuine suffering, God is present and he is always providing strength. though not always in the way we expect. Let’s begin with a short prayer. Father, thank you that you don’t ask us to pretend everything is fine when it’s not.
